A few folk have asked about what to do generally about wasps sniffing
around their hives. The odd one cruising by isn't a problem, but persistent
probing at an entrance might indicate a more determined Thing.
Wasps tend to be a problem later in the year when other food sources like
nectar have dried up and they are desperate. At that point they are
prepared to fight 30,000 bees for honey.
However they are opportunists and if they spot a weak hive even at this
time of year they will return, with friends. So the best protection is to
prevent attacks starting, by giving hives the appearance of Difficult To
Attack.
*Protecting from wasp attack*
I attach 3 pictures.
- *WellGuardedEntrance.jpg* shows a hive a couple of years old, which
has loads of bees and populated comb right down to the entrance! This hive
needs no help - every part of the entrance is guarded by many bees
(incidentally, the hunched posture is bees which are *washboarding*,
which is either cleaning the entrance floor or laying down propolis,
opinions are divided). National users may be interested to see this
entrance, in a Warre hive, is only about 20cm wide: I think Nationals'
entrances are wider
- *SimpleEntranceReduction.jpg* shows how you can place a simple block
of wood to reduce the entrance so smaller colonies which only have 3 or 4
bees at the entrance can guard the whole area. Later in the year, when
wasps get serious, you would reduce this right down to about an inch wide.
- *SimpleTunnelEntrance.jpg* shows something I tried last year which
seemed very effective at deterring wasps. Wasps fear narrowish tunnels, as
they can't scuttle away from guards. They only need to be about two inches
long to put them off and about the width of a cork (CF Also Jan's email re
the "Toblerone" entrance, although these days I would probably use a
straight rather than periscope tunnel to give unimpeded airflow)
*Entrance reduction - *basically, if you reduce your entrance to the point
you see traffic jamming, you've reduced it too much. But if wasps are
probing the entrance, then a minor bee traffic jam is probably a good thing.
Wasps are generally good for your garden and only bother bees when they
can't get other food. I have had problems with wasps some years and not
others. I have discovered a wasp nest within 20 feet of a hive which was
not bothered by it all year. It depends on the weather patterns in a given
year and the colonyies themselves.
A key factor making small colonies more vulnerable is that in some hive
types, they don't have populated comb right behind the entrance. I have 3
Warres with new swarms at the top and their comb does not yet go all the
way down to the entrance. Top Bar Hives have an advantage here because the
core of the nest is usually right behind the entrance.
*Wasp traps* - yes, they catch wasps, but they tend to also catch flies and
other pollinators, though not bees. There is also an argument that they
*attract* wasps to your hives. So unless you are seeing persistent wasp
attacks, I don't recommend these. However, if your hive is already under
attack they can be useful. As Jan says, a simple wasp trap can be made in
about 2 minutes from an old plastic drinks bottle (picture here
<https://i.pinimg.com/originals/2a/7e/bd/2a7ebdccfbb536c911266e4a58faf597.jpg>)
, you then put some bait liquid inside, just be sure not to use honey as
bait or you attract bees too. Wasps go for food bees don't like the smell
of windfall apples (cider) and rotting meat, especially fish (eg fish skin).
*Big Wasp Survey* - may as well mention this - www.bigwaspsurvey.org !!!
*Ventilation in hot weather*
Some people were worried about hives overheating. Bees can fan a lot of air
through a surprisingly small hole. In the three examples above, another
reason not to reduce the entrance in *WellGuardedEntrance.jpg* is that this
hive has loads of bees inside generating a lot of heat, so we don't want to
restrict the entrance too much. The other pictures show swarms that started
this year which are maybe 1/4 the population.
Paul
Attachment:
SimpleTunnelEntrance.JPG
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Attachment:
WellGuardedEntrance.JPG
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Attachment:
SimpleEntranceReduction.JPG
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